What if?
by Domino.necklace
Summary: What if Naruto had never known Iruka or any of the others? What would have happened to Naruto if he really had been left without a single soul to confide in? Warning for character/child death. Oneshot.


Naruto watched in pain as all of his classmates left the academy with their headbands clasped in their hands with their families in tow and were, no doubt, on their way to celebrate graduation.

Today had been the ninja exam and Naruto had failed. He had failed for the third time.

Naruto spun the swing he was perched on in circles as he stewed over his latest failure. He had only just begun to mold his chakra when his sensei had simply told him he was doing it wrong and that there would be no point in letting him continue when the clones would only appear as a chalky disappointment. He was failed before he could finish trying.

Naruto had never really gotten to know his sensei and could only say that the man, really he could not remember the teacher's name, had given him a brief once over on the first day of school and had from that point on decided to ignore him as much as possible.

Presently, a girl with pink hair from one of the other classes was embraced by a huge man with an even larger grin on his face. Another boy was given a huge bag of chips (probably some form of prize) and promptly devoured it whole. For the most part, people seemed happy and were all rejoicing. Except for when they looked at him.

No, that's not the right phrasing. It was when they looked through him. They gave him icy glares and stares of pure hatred that the poor boy could not fathom. Those stares broke straight through the happy atmosphere and cut right into Naruto's heart. They spoke volumes of what people's thought's were concerning the "demon child".

Naruto could no longer watch the happiness or withstand the glares of the complete strangers and decided to head home. He would have stopped to watch the sunset, but it would be too depressing to watch it alone.

The dingy apartment he occupied was silent and smelled like mildew, but it was one of the greatest comforts he had. It was the only place where he could control who entered and what happened inside of it. It was his. He did not bother to turn on the lights or take off his shoes. Instead he dropped into his bed without getting into the covers and simply lay there. He did not sleep.

Eventually the sun rose and another day passed and the sun set once more. Throughout all this time Naruto lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. Not one person came to see of he was okay.

Hours came and went. Soon the sky took on a gray color in the early morning and with it came a quiet that was as eerie as it was beautiful. Naruto slowly sat up and took in the view of the monument and all of the buildings of Konoha for the last time.

Then after rummaging around in his dresser he took out a length of rope. It wasn't too long, but it would get the job done. He secured it to a beam in the ceiling and made a noose fitted perfectly for him.

Naruto smiled a little at that. He was really good with knots. It was one of the only things he had ever been praised for and now that knowledge would be used to end his life.

He pulled up the kitchen chair and stood up on it seeing his room from a whole new point of view. Then, after a brief moments hesitation, he kicked.

Weeks passed from graduation and the landlord began to get complaints about a smell from the apartment that the little demon brat had been occupying. So, as was his duty, he went to check it out. When he opened the door, despite all of his prejudices, the first thing he did was run over and get the kid down from the rope.

The boy's body was cold and smelled like it had been hanging in the apartment for quite awhile. The bruising around his neck was dark and his neck was deformed where his neck had snapped. His legs dangled as he brought him down and his hair was matted and greasy as if the kid hadn't bathed a while before his death. His eyes were shut peacefully and his mouth was set in a small smile despite the fact that the kid had to of had struggled a little when the rope broke his neck.

Although it was apparent that the child had been gone for a long time and would never be coming back, there was a type of horror that could never be explained by holding the body of a dead child in your arms. The landlord could not believe what was clearly assaulting his eyes. Why would a demon commit suicide? Would it not prefer to take over their country and kill the innocent? And why would a demon look so innocent and sad and...damn. Why did it make the landlord cry to see the monster dead?  
So then it happened. Naruto's death was reported and after a brief investigation was filed away and never heard of again.

The blue-eyed boy never became a ninja, never met Jiraiya,never saved anyone from their fate, did not become the savior of Konoha, and never made a single friend in his life. He lived a sad and short life that can only be looked upon and remembered with pity.


End file.
